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How shape-memory materials remember

Researchers are gaining insight into the workings of magnetic shape-memory materials by studying their molecular level behavior. By examining the effects of excess manganese atoms on a specific alloy, scientists hope to develop materials that exhibit larger changes in shape.

SourceAmerican Physical Society·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateApr 26, 2010

Superconductors on the nanoscale

A team of researchers has discovered that in copper-based superconductors, tiny areas of weak superconductivity can hold up at higher temperatures when surrounded by regions of strong superconductivity. This finding could lead to the creation of new materials with improved superconducting properties.

SourceAmerican Physical Society·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateMar 14, 2010

Synchronized swimming of algae

Researchers found individual algal cells can regulate flagellar beating in synchrony to control swimming trajectories, exhibiting two distinct modes: synchronous and unsynchronised. This study reveals hydrodynamic interactions as the driving force behind synchronization.

SourceUniversity of Cambridge·JournalScience·DateJul 23, 2009

New twist on 40-year-old discovery

Researchers have discovered a new connection between Carter's constant and Newtonian gravity, shedding light on the behavior of rotating black holes. The findings have significant implications for gravitational-wave astronomy, potentially allowing the detection of small black hole orbits.

SourceWashington University in St. Louis·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateFeb 23, 2009

New theory for latest high-temperature superconductors

Physicists from Rice and Rutgers universities have published a new theory explaining the complex electronic and magnetic properties of iron pnictides. The research suggests that pnictides exhibit magnetic frustration, which enhances magnetic quantum fluctuations and may be responsible for high-temperature superconductivity.

SourceRice University·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateAug 13, 2008

Scientists develop new measure of 'socioclimactic' risk

A new analysis provides quantitative information on socioclimatic risk for each nation, integrating global climate models and socioeconomic indicators of poverty, wealth, and population. Countries face high exposure in at least one category, with major greenhouse gas-emitting nations like China, India, and the US facing substantial exp...

SourcePurdue University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateDec 10, 2007

On the (sound) track of anesthetics

Denmark's researchers claim anesthetics are based on sound pulses rather than electrical impulses. The membrane of the nerve is similar to olive oil and can change state with temperature, allowing concentrated sound pulses to propagate without heat.

SourceUniversity of Copenhagen·JournalBiophysical Journal·DateMar 6, 2007

E=mc2passes tough MIT test

MIT physicists and NIST colleagues report the most precise direct test yet of Einstein's E=mc^2, verifying the formula's accuracy with an unprecedented precision. The team's findings validate the equivalence of energy and mass, strengthening the theory's position in modern physics.

UA physicists find key to long-lived nanowires

Researchers at the University of Arizona have developed a theory explaining why nanowires thin away at non-zero temperatures. The discovery reveals that higher surface tensions stabilize the wires, making them suitable for repeated use. Copper is identified as the best metal for creating stable nanowires.

SourceUniversity of Arizona·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateAug 25, 2005

Why rocks curl

Researchers developed an experiment to measure the behavior of curling stones, revealing that wet friction is involved in their curl. The study found that a thin liquid layer reverses the dominant frictional force on the stone, resulting in a clockwise-turning stone curling to the right.

SourceNatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council·JournalCanadian Journal of Physics·DateOct 7, 2004

Physicists announce latest muon g-2 measurement

The latest muon g-2 measurement provides a unique and unusually sensitive test of the validity of the general theory of electromagnetism or, equivalently, the Standard Model of particle physics. The result confirms earlier measurements with twice the precision, making this new measurement a much more sensitive test of the Standard Model.

SourceDOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateAug 1, 2002

ASU professor finds new twist to old theory

Ralph V. Chamberlin has successfully extended the mean-field theory of ferromagnetism to describe the behavior of ferromagnetic materials at lower temperatures, eliminating the need for an alternative theory. This breakthrough allows for the accurate description of ferromagnets in a wider range of temperatures.

SourceArizona State University·JournalNature·DateNov 15, 2000